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Seek. Explore. Find.

"SAIC's credit/no credit system was a very important factor in my decision to come because I knew it would allow me to really express myself, take risks, and create without the pressure of grades. This has been extremely positive to my work because with the use of the critique as a 'grading system' there is always room for growth and improvement." -Andrew Gonzalez, student

SAIC is committed to experimentation among media, philosophies, and techniques. Explore. Go wherever your intuition takes you. See how other areas of human achievement relate to and affect the arts. Take it all in. Everything. It will provide you with context to understand the complex ways in which art and design inform and shape society and the many ways that they might, in turn, shape you. Our commitment to an open structure is embodied in a curriculum of self-directed study within and across a multiplicity of disciplines and approaches that promote critical thinking, rigorous investigation, and playful creativity. We are a community that challenges the notion that any field is ever beyond rediscovery.

At SAIC you will not declare a major. Our process mirrors the way practicing artists, designers, and scholars work—beginning with the idea and freely exploring processes and materials to fully realize your vision. While other institutions offer interdisciplinary study as a distinct pathway, at SAIC it is at the heart of how we teach and how we create, and provides an education which fully prepares you for life after art school.

A leader in educating artists, designers, and scholars since 1866, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) offers nationally accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees and post-baccalaureate programs to 3,200 students from around the globe. Located in the heart of Chicago, SAIC has an educational philosophy built upon an interdisciplinary approach to art and design, giving students unparalleled opportunities to develop their creative and critical abilities, while working with faculty who are the leading practitioners in their fields.